By Akeem Busari
The Nigeria Football Supporters Club (NFSC) during the week held a press conference to announce its latest project, the Nigeria Football Fans Congress (NFFC), which is to help curb the incessant deaths of Nigerian and African youth on the Meditterannean Sea and the Sahara Desert.
The project with the theme; Red Card to deaths on the Meditterannean and the Sahara Desert, according to the chief host and national chairman of the Nigeria Football supporters club, Rev. Samuel Ikpea, is essentially aimed at sensitizing the public of the dangers inherent in such methods of migration in pursuit of the proverbial greener pastures.
” We are deeply worried particularly on continuous and unabated bad news about how energetic Nigerian and African youths are dying daily on the Mediterranean sea due to illegal migrations.
” And in order to end this unwholesome and avoidable loss of lives, we are partnering with humanitarian organisations and relevant government agencies to deliver lectures on the dangers associated with such journeys,” Ikpea explained.
Also speaking on the occasion, Atlanta’96 Olympic gold medalist, Chioma Ajunwa Oparah, expressed her concern on the illegal immigration that has continued to cause deaths on the Mediterranean sea.
” I am giving my unalloyed support to this project. And I also commend the organizers for coming up with this laudable idea.
“Therefore, we at Chioma Ajunwa Foundation have decided to support and partner with the organizers of the Nigeria football fans congress in order to help curb the deaths of our youths,” she added.
Representative of the director-general of NAPTIP, Mrs. Rosemary Ndulue, disclosed that the agency was in support of the project, just as she commended the organizers on what she described as a noble project.
On his part, the national coordinator of the event, Izuchukwu Udegbunam, enthused confidently on the prospects of the event.
” No doubt, the Nigeria football fans congress will make a huge and positive impact on the psyche and lives of these impressionable youths. Therefore, we implore all Nigerians and lovers of sports, particularly, football fans, to come out and register their interests in this event,” said Udegbunam, who is also the CEO of Bunubunu Culture and Entertainment company, a major collaborator of the event.
The NFFC launch event will be a two-day affair slated to hold at the Teslim Balogun stadium, Lagos.
It will kick off with a seminar to be handled by resource persons on December 8, and on December 9, 2017.
A novelty match, fans parade, music and more entertainment have also been lined up for the event.
